Korea Railroad Corp. mobilizes round-the-clock disaster response for summer

A central command center is now operating to support safe train operations as South Korea braces for summer weather extremes, including heat waves, monsoon rains and typhoons.

Korea Railroad Corp. (Korail) said Wednesday its disaster response headquarters is running around the clock, continuously monitoring passenger services, metropolitan rail, logistics, facilities, electrical systems and rolling stock.

The headquarters has built a safety management framework powered by AI, the Internet of Things and big data to track conditions at rail sites across the country in real time.

Through an internal "railroad weather information monitoring" system, Korail shares key summer safety data — including weather alerts, rail temperatures and rainfall levels — directly with field staff. The company has also established close coordination between technical divisions covering facilities, electrical and construction work and customer-facing departments such as station operations and train crew services.

In June, Korail completed facility inspections ahead of the monsoon season and heavy downpours. Workers carried out a comprehensive check of 154 drainage sumps used to remove groundwater from railway tunnels and other underground structures, and cleared drainage channels, rockfall-prone sections and embankment slopes. Sites that previously suffered flood or inundation damage received heightened attention to prevent recurrence. At construction sites adjacent to tracks, Korail put crane tip-over prevention measures in place and completed inspections of areas at risk of subgrade settlement.

To guard against lightning damage, Korail conducted precision diagnostics on 1,734 grounding devices for communications and signal equipment, and removed trees near overhead contact lines that could interfere with train operations.

A comprehensive heat wave safety plan is also in place. Rail temperature management and track inspections have been stepped up to prevent heat-induced track deformation.

Korail added 4,520 AI-based virtual sensors to the rail temperature management system already installed at 349 track locations nationwide, enabling finer-grained monitoring of temperature changes. When rail temperatures exceed a set threshold, automatic water-spraying devices at 599 locations across the country activate to cool the tracks. Along 240 kilometers of vulnerable sections with poor ventilation or excessive sun exposure, Korail has applied heat-reflective paint that reduces surface temperature by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius.

Vehicle and station facility management has been reinforced to keep journeys comfortable. Korail overhauled all rolling stock air-conditioning units and inspected 174 large cooling systems and 562 air-handling units at stations in advance. About 80 stations have stocked emergency supplies including wet towels, bottled water and fans, and Korail plans to step up in-station announcements and on-site guidance during heat waves to minimize passenger inconvenience.

Korail is also working to protect field workers. Outdoor staff have been issued protective gear to prevent heat-related illness, and supervisors regularly check the apparent temperature at each work site and recommend adjustments to working hours. Guidelines on preventing heatstroke — including adequate rest, hydration and access to shade — are being communicated on an ongoing basis.

"Given the climate disaster situation in which extreme rainfall and heat waves have become the norm, we will spare no effort in managing the safety of railway facilities and train operations," said Lee Se-hyeong, Korail's head of safety.